CHAPTER 53: TAIL

"What do you mean we have a tail? Why would someone be following us?"

The tension inside the Obsidian felt like it could snap steel. Dressa’s breath hitched in her throat as she clutched her phone, the screen glowing softly in her trembling hands. Her brows furrowed in sheer panic, Maximus had never thought hed see a strong woman such as her in that state.

"What do you mean we have a tail?!" she blurted out, her eyes darting toward the rear windshield. "Why would someone be following us, Maximus?!"

Maximus didn’t answer right away, his hands were steady on the steering wheel, fingers relaxed, like he was cruising through a Sunday drive and not moments away from a potential ambush. His gaze was locked onto the red traffic light in front of them, the glow reflecting faintly across the glass dashboard.

"If you stay calm enough," he said coolly, not even looking at her, "...your fingers would stop trembling, and you could actually dial the number."

Dressa looked down at her phone. Her thumb was hovering over the call button, but her hand was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Her heart pounded against her ribcage, fear clawing up her throat.

"Are you serious right now?!! this isn’t the time to be..." she shot back, her voice cracked with panic, "Maximus, is this because you’re an investor? Do you have enemies? Some kind of corporate psycho trying to kill you?"

"I’ve got a lot of things," maximus muttered under his breath, his tone casual, almost amused. "Psycho rivals? Maybe. Government watchdogs? I don’t think so. Unhappy investors? That is the most likely probability. But none of them usually follow me with blacked out SUVs and military grade tires."

He finally turned his head slightly toward her, his eyes sharp like dagger wrapped in silk.

"just dial it."

Dressa pressed the button, holding the phone up to her ear like a lifeline. A couple seconds passed,then a couple more. Nothing. No ringing. No connection tone. Just silence.

"Hello...?" she whispered.

And then it came. [No signal. Call failed.]

The message blinked on her screen like a death sentence, she stared at it, frozen, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Maximus, we are fucked... its not connecting."

His brows pinched the slightest bit. He leaned forward slightly, catching the shape of the vehicle tailing them through the rearview mirror. The headlights were dimmed, the plates covered.

"shit," he said under his breath, his jaw tightening. "Looks like they’re using a signal jammer."

He said it like he was commenting on a weather forecast.

Dressa gawked at him. "Signal jammer?! what...why!?"

Maximus finally shifted in his seat and faced forward again, the traffic light still pulsing red. His fingers drummed against the wheel once, then went still. "Means they don’t want cops showing up. That’s bad news, for us."

"Seat belt?" he asked softly.

She blinked a couple times. "What... yes! Its on, of course it’s..."

"Good."

He flexed his fingers over the wheel again, his eyes flicking to the side mirror. Then he glanced at her again, and this time... he smiled.

A calm, almost playful smirk. As if adrenaline was the all he breathed.

"Hey, Dressa..."

She looked at him with wide, frantic eyes.

He grinned. "How close have you ever been to death before?"

Her eyes widened. "This is not funny, Maximus!"

Just then, the traffic light finally blinked green.

Maximus didn’t move at first. Instead, he calmly adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, eyes flicking across the intersection, then to the rearview mirror. Cars ahead began to move, horns blaring impatiently behind him. He smoothly steered Obsidian around the nearest vehicle, slipping into an open lance like silk through fingers.

Dressa clutched the dorr’s handle, barely breathing.

The tail car edged forward too, creeping behind a few other vehicles.

Then, Maximus slammed a foot on the gas pedal.

The obsidian growled like a beast unchained, its engine roaring to life as it surged forward, blasting through the open stretch like a jet tearing up asphalt. Tires screeching sounds filed the air as the force shove Dressa into her seat, her hair whipping around her face. Her scream was nearly drowned out by the sound of acceleration.

"MAXIMUS!!!"

But he was locked in, his eyes cool, calm and calculating.

Behind them, the black SUV jolted to action, darting past confused drivers, forcing its way into the chase. It tore through the lanes like a predator, the gap closing second by second.

Maximus weaved between cars with effortless precision, taking tight turns, witching lanes, ducking through gaps that seemed impossible to squeeze through.

"They’re... still behind us?" Dressa gasped, sneaking a look at the mirror.

"Yeah," Maximus muttered, one hand working the wheel, the other tapping the dashboard. "Military grade vehicle, whoever’s in it knows what they’re doing."

He swerved past a bus, narrowly avoiding its side mirror. The obsidian vibrated from the near miss, but Maximus didn’t flinch.

Dressa had her eyes clamped shut, her entire body tense. "This isn’t normal! This is not how a normal date should end!"

"You think?" Maximus smirked. "I was hoping to end the day with a movie or something."

She slapped his arm almost immediately, "Now is not the time for sarcasm!"

Another turn, another near miss. A truck honked violently as they narrowly avoided its front grill.

But the black SUV was relentless. Turn for turn, lane for lane, it stayed glued to them.

Maximus exhaled through his nose. "Alright. Time for plan B"

He spotted another red light up ahead, cars were already stacked waiting for the green light to reveal itself.

"Perfect..."

He eased off the gas just enough to blend into the traffic, the oobsidian slowing down as it slipped between two other vehicles. The black suv pulled up behind them, but still several cars away.

Maximus’s fingers danced across the screen on his dashboard. "Autopilot: On. Manual override: Disabled. Command input- navigate in randomized loops fo sixty minutes, then park at the Impound Lot 18C."

A well articulated, feminine AI voice replied immediate;y after, "Command received... Obsidian taking control".

He turned to Dressa, his voice low. "Time to bounce."

"What?" she blinked.

"Now."

Maximus cracked the door slightly, glanced around, then slipped out with practiced stealth. Dressa followed, ducking low, keeping her head below the windows. The two of them crept alongside a delivery van, then darted into a nearby alley coated by the shadows the space provided.

Dressa’s heart thundered in her chest. "Do you think it worked?"

Maximus peeked form the alley entrance, watching as the Obsidian immediately followed traffic, blending in. The SUV lurched forward once the light turned green, but it only took a few seconds for the pursuers to realize their mark had vanished.

"Shit..." Maximus muttered, watching as the SUV came to an abrupt stop.

The car doors opened.

Three men stepped out, dressed in immaculate black suits, shades on, earpieces in place, movements sharp and tactical. They scanned the area with ruthless precision.

"Maximus... they’re out of the car..."

"I can see that... shades in a night time is not a good look"

"We have to run," Dressa whispered, panic still lacing her tone.

Maximus turned to her, his eyes glinting. "Lets see if those accolades you’ve won as a track runner would translate here..."

She gave a tight nod, breath evening out, composure snapping back into place.

And they ran.

Their footsteps echoed through the alley, bouncing off concrete and metal. Trash cans blurred past them. Fire escapes loomed overhead. They dodged stray crates, weaving through tight spaces with speed and agility.

Behind them, the men gave chase. Tactical boots slammed against pavement. Voices barked orders in clipped, foreign tones. These weren’t just hired thugs, they were trained.

Maximus scanned the areas as they sprinted, his eyes locked onto a delivery truck parked by the curb. Its back doors were wide open. Dozens of massive, soft pillows were stacked high inside.

"Dressa! Left!" Maximus yelled.

"What?!"

"Truck"

Without slowing down, maximus grabbed her hand and yanked her to the side and launched himself into the open truck bed. They crashed into the soft mountain of pillows, disappearing into the fluff like a pair of ragdolls.

Seconds passed and the men stormed past, scanning the sidewalk. Then sprinted onward, completely missing the truck.

There was a heavy beat of silence then,...

"Pfft!!"

Dress burst out laughing, muffling her giggles into a cushion. Maximus lay sprawled beside her, hair ruffled, shirt askew, frinning like a lunatic.

"Well," he said between breaths. "That’s one way to end a date."

Dressa wiped a tear from her eye. "Are you kidding me? This is insane."

"Just another Tuesday."

They both laughed again, breathless, letting the tension melt away into the absurdity of it all.

But as the silence settled again, Maximus’s smile faded just a little.

He stared at the ceiling on the truck, expression hardened now. "Who the hell, would send men ike that after me?".